The scanner continued to beep in Chen Gu's shaking hand.
Fast.
Sharp.
Unmistakable.
They all felt it — the pressure in the air, the sudden heaviness, the subtle vibration under the station floor.
Kai stepped forward, eyes narrowed.
"…Psi-Containment Units."
Thorne nearly passed out again.
"No, no, NO—those are the scary ones! The ones that hunt superhumans for fun!"
Chen Gu shook his head.
"This isn't for fun."
Yin Lie already knew.
The Directorate had deployed their elite.
For Qin Mian.
And for him.
He rose to his feet slowly, placing himself in front of her.
Qin Mian sat weakly on the floor, knees drawn up, eyes wide with fear.
"Lie…" she whispered.
"They're coming…"
He gave her a soft look.
"I know."
The station's entrance filled with shadows.
Dozens of them.
Boots thudding.
Armor clanking.
Breathing masks hissing.
Then — a command voice echoed into the huge empty hall:
"Psi-Containment Unit Seven!
Form up!"
Yin Lie's stomach tightened.
This wasn't a small team.
This was a full squad.
Twelve armored soldiers stepped forward, their suits matte black, glowing with red tracking lights.
Their visors reflected the moonlight like cold glass.
At the center stood their captain — taller, broader, armor reinforced with thick metal plates.
"Target located.
Engage."
Qin Mian trembled, clinging to Yin Lie's sleeve with cold fingers.
"Lie… no…"
He gently pulled her hand loose.
Then placed it over her own heart.
"I'll be back."
"Don't go," she whispered, tears threatening to spill.
He touched her cheek lightly.
"I have to."
Kai took a small step forward.
"…Lie. You can't fight them."
"I don't have a choice."
Kai clenched her jaw.
"Containment Units aren't like drones. They're humans with anti-variant armor, psi-resistant plating, null-field generators—"
"I know," Yin Lie said calmly.
"But they're between us and survival."
Chen Gu muttered desperately:
"We can run! There's another tunnel behind platform three—!"
But the moment he said it—
A new squad of soldiers entered from the back corridor.
Kai cursed softly.
"They've surrounded us."
Thorne sank to the floor.
"Well. This is how I die. In a haunted train station. With a frozen robot corpse."
Kai shoved him.
"Quiet."
Yin Lie cracked his knuckles.
The wolf inside him growled.
The ice sharpened its edge.
The Keystone hummed like a distant star.
Everything inside him aligned.
Cold.
Heat.
Light.
He stepped forward.
"Let them come."
The captain raised his hand.
"Tango Neutralization Protocol. Move."
The first three soldiers rushed in, fast as trained predators.
Yin Lie moved instantly.
One soldier swung a baton crackling with blue electricity—
The wolf boosted his reflexes — faster than thought.
Yin Lie ducked and slammed his elbow into the soldier's side — hard enough to dent the reinforced armor.
CRUNCH!!
The soldier flew back, skidding across the floor.
The second soldier activated a wrist-mounted pulse—
BOOM—!!
A shockwave slammed into Yin Lie's chest.
He slid backward a few meters, boots grinding across the dusty tiles—but he stayed standing.
He grinned coldly.
"That all you've got?"
The third soldier jumped, firing a net with glowing blue lines — a psi-suppressing trap.
Yin Lie raised a hand.
Ice burst outward—
SHHHHK—!!
The net froze mid-air, shattered, and fell like broken glass.
Thorne screamed:
"WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE BUT THAT WAS AWESOME!!"
Kai ignored him.
"Lie, above you!"
Yin Lie looked up—
Two soldiers were dropping down from the second floor balcony, blades drawn.
Yin Lie exhaled.
Ice spiraled around him, forming thin, sharp threads of frost that curved upward like a silver storm—
WHIP—!!
WHIP—!!
Both soldiers were hit mid-air and slammed into broken benches.
Chen Gu's jaw dropped.
"…Lie… you're fighting like someone who hasn't eaten or slept in two days—"
Yin Lie didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
His body burned.
His lungs hurt.
His ribs throbbed.
But he couldn't stop.
Qin Mian needed him.
Suddenly—
A low humming filled the station.
Lights flickered.
The air itself felt heavier.
Kai's eyes widened.
"Oh no—Lie, MOVE!"
Yin Lie froze.
A soldier stepped forward, carrying a bulky device on his back. Its tubes glowed red. Its vents hissed.
"Null Field: ACTIVATED."
A wave of crushing pressure slammed into Yin Lie.
His vision blurred.
His muscles locked.
His ice flickered.
The Keystone inside him pulsed painfully.
He fell to one knee.
"UGH—!!"
Qin Mian cried out:
"Lie—!!"
The Null Field distorted the air around him, weakening every part of him at once.
The captain spoke calmly.
"Stand down. You cannot fight a nullification field."
Yin Lie forced himself up.
Teeth clenched.
Sweat dripping.
"No…
I'm not…
done yet…"
The soldiers advanced.
Qin Mian Breaks
Qin Mian tried to stand.
Her legs trembled.
She reached out a hand toward Yin Lie.
"Stop!!
Stop hurting him—!!"
A faint ripple of blue flashed from her fingers—
—but fizzled out immediately.
She fell to her knees, clutching her head.
"Lie… it hurts… I can feel the pressure… I can't breathe…"
Kai grabbed her shoulder.
"Don't use your power! You'll collapse!"
Qin Mian shook her head violently, tears streaming.
"But he'll die—!!"
"Not if you stay calm."
But her breathing grew fast and panicked.
She could feel Yin Lie's pain.
She could feel the soldiers' intent.
She could feel the fear.
Her voice broke.
"Lie… don't leave me…"
He turned his head toward her, eyes burning with stubborn fire.
"I won't."
But the Null Field pressed harder.
His limbs shook.
His ice shattered.
Two soldiers pinned him from behind.
The captain raised a tranquilizer gun.
"Target Yin Lie — sedate."
Qin Mian screamed.
"NO!"
Yin Lie's Last Stand
The tranquilizer dart fired—
FWIP—!!
Yin Lie twisted at the last second—
The dart grazed his arm.
Hot pain shot through him.
He punched backward, elbowing one soldier in the face.
Then spun and kicked the other across the chest.
But the Null Field was too strong.
The captain aimed again.
"Sedate him."
Yin Lie stumbled.
He couldn't dodge another shot.
He looked at Qin Mian one more time.
She reached toward him with shaking hands.
Her voice was a whisper full of terror:
"…Lie…"
He smiled faintly.
"Don't cry."
Then—
BANG—!!
The tranquilizer struck his shoulder.
His vision swayed.
His knees buckled.
Everything dimmed.
He fell forward—
Barely conscious.
Barely breathing.
The captain stepped closer.
"Yin Lie — secure."
Qin Mian's scream echoed through the entire station.
And her power—
still weak, still fragile—
began to tremble awake again.
Chapter 76 — Completed